What College Coaches Look For Pt. 2

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Last week, I started a list of "what coaches look for." This week's entry is the final set of factors that coaches look into when they recruit players.

Technical:

The technical side of what coaches look for is the ability of a player to translate fundamentals to performance at the next level. As they move up the ladder of competition, some players have trouble making adjustments and keeping up with the speed of the game. They may have the ability to play at a certain level, but the pace of the game can make it hard for them to adjust in the field or at the plate. When recruits would visit Maryland and watch us play, they would often size up their competition on the field. I always got a kick out of a player referring to a play they felt they could have performed better. That's the right attitude to have, but the reality is, they have no idea how much faster the game is at the college level!

Coaches know that there are some players that showcase well, and some that play beyond their tools during games. Obviously, coaches want players that look good and play well, but it’s not necessarily joint prerequisites. Those raw athletic prospects that need a lot of refinement will get looks because of their projectability. However, they still have to prove themselves on the field during a game to coaches in order to have a shot at playing at the next level. Prospects that may not have the arm strength of the foot speed to play at a certain level may get an extra look because they do other things to compensate for that lack of athleticism (see David Eckstein).

Tactical:

The “tactical” factor that coaches look for is a player’s mental approach to a game. Understanding your athletic tools and position as it pertains to game situations can have a major effect on how you execute a play. Having the ability to slow the game down is important when you play at a higher level. Are you at the right place at the right time? How adept are you at reading bat angles and the ball off the bat? Instincts are tough to teach, and knowing "what to do and when" is a special talent that coaches look for in players.

You’re never too good or too old to stop learning! Be a student of the game and take every opportunity you can to learn the fine points of the game. It’s the difference between “talented” players and truly “great” players.

Variables:

Finally, other “variables” can push you ahead of other prospects. These characteristics should be considered last, but certainly not least! Whether you wear khakis, a collared shirt, or remember to take you hat off in front of coaches does make a difference, even the smallest of ones. However, it’s the smallest of differences that will differentiate you from other prospective student-athletes. After all, if a coach has to choose between players of the same academic standing and athletic stature, what else does he have to choose between?

Remember, coaches are looking for much more than how hard you throw the baseball or how fast you run. Keep these factors in mind when you take the field, visit a coach or sit down to do your homework, because they all add up!


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

The Cumulative Effect

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

This is a topic that I could go on and on about for days. It is so overlooked by coaches, players, parents...you name it. So what exactly is it? The "Cumulative Effect" is the result of doing something over and over again. It can be a good thing if you are performing a habit or skill correctly, or a bad thing if you are doing it incorrectly. In fact I am experiencing it right now while typing. The "Cumulative Effect" or CE (as I will refer to it moving forward) of typing every day for the past 15 years, along with a class I took on it in high school, has enabled me to become a fast and effective typist. I can't help it, just doing it over and over again has allowed me to become better at it.

The same thing happens in baseball. The problem in baseball, and especially hitting, is that it very often works in a negative manner. That being said, all players, especially the young ones have the opportunity to get the "CE" working in their favor. (more on this next blog)

A big pet peeve of mine is the amount of games that youth baseball players are playing these days. Yes, game play is extremely important, but quality practice, especially at a young age, is also very important. I hear about 12U teams playing 75 to 100 games in a summer. When I speak with those coaches about it and ask them how often they practice they usually proudly tell me, "We play every day, we don't have time to practice." When I hear this, one thought goes through my mind: So what you are saying is, little Billy who drops his hands and doesn't rotate his hips correctly when he swings, is doing this incorrectly every day over the course of a 90 game season! Little Billy is reinforcing the wrong swing habits over and over and over and over (I think you get my point). This is the negative impact of the "CE."

The positive impact of the "CE" is when a player is able to practice the correct swing fundamentals in the batting cage over and over and over...and then he can go into the game and implement the swing that he has been honing in the cage. Then and only then can a player begin to develop a consistent, repeatable swing that will produce for him and not break down in the clutch or under the pressure of the game situation.

Baseball is a game completely dependent on the "CE." It is the day in and day out grind of being successful over the long haul. As young players you must develop proper swing fundamentals and drive them home EVERY day in order to be successful. Tune in next blog as we will continue to discuss this topic and how it can impact your game. Check out this week's quote, have truer words ever been spoken?

Quote of the Week:
"Practice does not make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect."


Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.